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TOOTHPIGK MACHINE.

No. 404,282. Patented May 28, 1889.

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' No. 404,282. Patented May 28, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

VILLIAM F. vHUTCHINSON, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ,MARY

E. HUTCHINSON, OF SAME PLACE. y r I TooTH-PlcK MACHlNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,282, dated May 28, 1889.

Application filed September 3, 1887. Serial No. 248,767. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Tooth-Pick Machine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in tooth-pick machines in which a ribbon or strip Io of wood from which the tooth-picks are cut is passed between revolving cylinders, one of which is provided with a series of knives; and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide a very rapid-working machine; second, to provide a machine that will make all the tooth-picks of equal size, and, third, to provide a machine that will not waste the inaterial. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying` drawzo ings, in which- Figure l is a side view of the entire machine; Fig. 2, an end view of the same; Fig. 3, a plan of the spacers which regulate the distance between the knives; Fig. 4, a side '25 view of one of the spacers; Fig. 5, a side View of one of the knives; Fig. (i, an enlarged section of the knives and spacers on the line y y; Fig. 7, a sectional view of the machine as shown in Fig. 2 on the line y y; Fig. 8, a 3o sectional view of Fig. l on the line y y; Fig. 9, a plan of the flanges of the drum, showing slots through which the knives and spacers are inserted to be fastened into the machine; and Fig. lO, a perspective View of the spring- 3 5 fingers which are fastened to the flanges and extend between the knives.

Similar letters refer to similar part-s throughout the several views.

The machine consists, essentially, of the two drums A and B, the upper drum, A, operating as a cutter and the lower drum, B, as a bearing for the knives. These drums are hung in the frame C upon the shafts D and E, the upper shaft, D, being provided with pulleys G and H for operating the machine. The

larger drum, A, is turned from a single piece of iron, and is provided with flanges ff, one on each end. These flanges are fastened to the ends of the drum A by the bolt 7L, so that 5o they may be tightened or loosened, and are beveled upon the inside portion that projects above the drum A to correspond in shape to Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. Hu'rcnnt; sON, a citizen of the United States, residing at: Lynn, in the county of Essex and State ofi the ends of the spacers a and knives a. They are also provided with a slot or opening, c, as shown in Fig. 9, through which the spacers a andknives c may be inserted. The spacers ct are made of the same width as a tooth-pick, and are to be placed between the knives. The knives a are made of thin strips of steel, with ends of the same shape as the spacers 6o a (see Figs. 4 and 5) and as the inside bevel of the flanges ff. (See Fig. 7.) The spacers and knives are placedy and fastened in position upon the drum A as follows: A knife, a', is first inserted through the slot c of the fiangesf f, then a spacer, a, is inserted, and so on alternately until the flanges are full, the drum A making a solid backing for the knives and spacers. The flanges'f f are then tightened by screwing up the bolts h, and the knives and 7ospacers are securely held in the position shown in Fig. 8, their backs to the drum A and the knives just the width of a spacer or toothpick from each other. The lower drum, B, is composed of rubber or rawhide, and is held in posit-ion upon the shaft E by the collars d, and c. y Beneath the bearings F of the shaft E is a bolt, e', the object of which is to raise the drum B as it becomes worn by the action of 8o the knives of the upper drum, A. The toothpicks are cut from thin veneers of wood, which are turned from the log in long lengths in a manner well known to the trade. The width of the veneer corresponds to the length S 5 of the tooth-pick. These veneers are passed between the drums A and B, when they are rapidly cut into tooth-picks by'the knives a', which revolve with the drum A. In order that the tooth-picks may not stick between 9o the knives a', a series of steel springs, b, with fingers b, are fastened to the flanges f f by the screw s, the fingers of the springs b b eX- tending between each knife and the surface of the fingers should be flush with the cutting-edge of the knives a', so that when a tooth-pick is cut a finger of the spring will be depressed, and, springing back immediately into place, will expel the tooth-pick from between the knives. I do not confine myself Ioo to the spring shown, as any suitable spring may be used.

It will be seen that with my machine no feeding mechanism is needed. Astrip of veneer being placed between the drums A and ll, a tooth-piek will not be cut till a knife reaches a central point between the two drums, and when this is cut the next knife will have taken hold of the veneer, and so on, the machilidtlius doing its own feeding. It will be seen, also, that by having' the knives d equidistant around the entire periphery of the drum A there is no waste of material, every cut making a tooth-pick.

Instead of the spacers a, grooves the width of a tooth-pick apart may be cut across the drum A and the knives ce placed in the grooves and fastened by the flanges f f, as heretofore described.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

l. A tooth-pick machine having the drum A, with the spacers a and knives d arranged around its periphery, and suitable springs between said knives, in combination with the drum B, substantially as shown and described.

2. The iianges f f, beveled as shown and provided with the slot c, in combination with the knives a and drum A, substantially as shown, and for the purpose described.

3. A tooth-pick machine having the drum A, With the knives a arranged around its periphery, and suitable springs between said knives, in combination with the drum B, substantially as shown and described.

WILLIAM F. nUToniNsoN.

lVitnesses: i

WARREN B. HUToHiNsoN, MARY E. lIUToHINsoN. 

